Zahid Group to encrypt devices with Pointsec

A Saudi company plans to deploy encryption devices on all its mobile devices following a spate of laptop thefts.

A Saudi company plans to deploy encryption devices on all its mobile devices following a spate of laptop thefts. The Zahid Group, which is the regional distributor for Caterpillar, Ingersoll-Rand, Volvo Trucks and Cars, Demag cranes, Lorain Cranes and Hummer, is currently testing Pointsec for PC and mobile platforms and Pointsec Media Encryption for USBs and removable media on 100 of its machines. If the pilot project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, is successful the Pointsec solutions will be used to encrypt data on all machines across the organisation — which encompasses Zahid Heanor, a light and heavy transportation company, Zahid Travel, Zahid Industries and Zahid Tractor. The move follows the theft of three notebook PCs last year —one of which contained confidential data on a deal worth 8million Riyals or US$2million. Mahmoud Mudhaffar, operations manager at the Zahid Group, said the incident almost cost the firm the deal in question, although it managed to retrieve most of the data from backups.